Friday News And Views

The Gravaa KAPS system explained. (Image courtesy of Gravaa)

Adjustable On-The-Fly Air Pressure For Cycling In The News Again:

 Almost a year ago now in a "FN&V" I wrote about the Scope Atmoz adjustable air pressure system. Now another company is in the news touting the benefits of adjustable on-the-fly air pressure hubs. 

Gravaa has a system called KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System) which is also hub based and allows the rider to adjust air pressure up or down at will while riding. The system is so promising that Team Jumbo-Visma of the Pro road circuit is trying it out for the Spring classics in Europe. 

Comments: Gravaa sells the system as a wheel set which costs approximately $4700.00 US, so it likely won't be seen a lot here, but this isn't fairy dust. It's real, and with two companies at it in this space, I suspect this idea will stick. There are claimed benefits which are too big to ignore for racing, that's for sure. And we all know that racing informs what becomes available in the high-end realm of cycling. 

Fat bikes, mountain bikes, cyclo cross, and gravel bikes probably will all have this option available to them in more slickly packaged, high-tech offerings in the near future. Unless the UCI bans this, which, you know, is entirely possible. That said, no other racing that occurs with pneumatic tires has this sort of technology that I am aware of unless it is off-road vehicles, which I could totally see being applicable. Point being, if it isn't allowable in most motorsports, I can see where the UCI might be against this. But for now, it is an intriguing option on the horizon for cyclists. 

Rocky Mountain Solo Carbon 90 (Image courtesy of Rocky Mountain Bikes)

Rocky Mountain Announces Carbon Fiber Gravel Bike:

Rocky Mountain Bikes exhibited a new carbon fiber frame/.fork gravel bike on their website last week and I thought that it was interesting for a couple of reasons. The bike can be seen on their website here in case you want to check it out further. 

Comments: So, one thing that I find fascinating is how a predominantly mountain bike brand interprets a "gravel bike". Do they go with the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel, or what? Are we going to see a suspension fork, 29'er tires, and a dropper post, like what Evil Bikes or some others are doing, or will this be a straight-ahead gravel machine? 

In this case, it is not only a straight-ahead gravel bike, but it has a couple features that I found intriguing. One is that Rocky Mountain opted for a 75mm bottom bracket drop. That's low and pretty much precludes usage of 650B rubber, which some MTB brands like to allow for on their gravel rigs. Not that you couldn't use 650B, but it gets dicey when you drop the BB height that low. 

The other thing was that Rocky did not spec a telescoping suspension fork. That's interesting, and while I could not find a fork specification, it doesn't appear that Rocky Mountain intended for this model to allow for one either. 

I like the geometry, and I think Rocky Mountain hit this one out of the ball park. Nice job! 

The Focus Atlas 8.8 (Image courtesy of Focus)

Focus Debuts Atlas Range With Boost Spacing:

Focus Bikes announced earlier this week that they have a new Atlas range of carbon fiber gravel bikes out which, amongst other things, features Boost axle spacing front and rear. There also is a unique bag carrying function which wasn't clearly spelled out on the webpage, but it may be something of interest. 

Comments: Again, I typically will not feature every press release with a bike for gravel here, but this bike has an obvious change which necessitates a bit of discussion. Boost, if you are not familiar with that term, is an axle spacing utilized by almost every mountain bike now and essentially adds 10mm of width up front and another 6mm out back on a through axle set up. So, 110mm front versus the road based 100mm and 148mm out back versus the typical 142mm through axle standard, which itself is based upon 135mm quick release dimensions. 

You may ask "Why?". Well, this allows for stronger wheels, by allowing for a wider distance between hub flanges to allow for a better spoking angle from hub to rim. Focus is billing this as an adventure bike, or a bikepacking bike, if that makes more sense to you. Loads on the frame typically will handle better with a wheel that has better lateral strength. So, this makes sense to me. 

But what I think this indicates is a wider move in the near future for all gravel bikes. It will make all previous "gravel wheel sets" obsolete, but this along with a move to the so-called direct mount rear derailleur standard is going to be here in the upper end offerings, in my opinion, very soon. 

Your current gravel bikes will be supported yet for a while, but this Boost spacing and direct mount rear derailleur thing is coming and honestly, I think road bikes will also be affected. Especially with the direct mount thing. Having no replaceable hangars will be a boon to future direct-to-consumer sales and self-service bike shop retail, which I believe is the future in cycling retail coming soon. The service industry side of repair/maintenance will benefit as well. 

As seen on Twitter Tuesday

Team Movistar To Add Gravel Squad With Valverde As Lead Rider:

Tuesday on social media news broke about formerly retired Pro Road rider Alejandro Valverde and Team Movistar joining forces to launch the new gravel team for 2023. 

According to this Yahoo Sports article, the 42 year old will be joined by men and women already on Team Movistar and in its esports program. 

Riders will begin by contesting events in Spain but are also aiming at being at the UCI's Gravel World Championships in Italy this Fall. 

Comments: So, is this where old roadies go out to pasture, or....? I think it would be easy to say that, but I think it has a way of giving the series and racing in Europe more legitimacy to the average European rider. Let's not forget that gravel racing is an American invention, at least in its current form, and traction amongst European cyclists for this genre is not anywhere near the fever pitch it is here in America.  

It also is a pathway for the UCI to grow the segment into the sort of professional stature that they are hoping it to become, with similar sponsorship opportunities and ties to the big organizers of cycling events in Europe. "Grassroots" organizing simply is far too difficult there in Europe and this will be how gravel racing is done in the future there, if it continues at all. So, expect similar types of racing, eventually, that you are familiar with on the paved side, if this takes off over there. 

Image courtesy of Panaracer

Panaracer Announced New Limited Edition Colors:

By now you probably are aware that Panaracer releases some colored rubber tires every year. This year's colors are Sunset Orange and Turquoise. You can get these in three models, the Gravel King SK, Gravel King SS, or Gravel King.  Sidewalls are in black or brown. Widths run from 32mm, 38mm, or 43mm. Price is $59.99 each.

You can check them out here. 

Comments: Is this the bicycle fanatic's version of Easter eggs? I mean, they released these on Thursday before Easter. Anyway..... Yeah....these are not my cuppa. Maybe this turns you on? Okay, I'm alright with that, but I find colored tires to be an acquired taste in most cases. Now, I would take a hard look at white or a cream colored tire. Maybe that red that Ritchey used to use, or maybe the Michelin green, so I'm not 100% against the idea. I just don't care for these at all. That's maybe just me....

I will say that I think the slick being named "Gravel King" is pretty goofy. For my money, the SK is where it is at, but those center blocks can have a tendency to fling gravel, so you have to watch out for that around anyone that rides a Gravel King SK.
 

That's it for this week. have a great Easter Weekend!

Friday News And Views

The Gravaa KAPS system explained. (Image courtesy of Gravaa)

Adjustable On-The-Fly Air Pressure For Cycling In The News Again:

 Almost a year ago now in a "FN&V" I wrote about the Scope Atmoz adjustable air pressure system. Now another company is in the news touting the benefits of adjustable on-the-fly air pressure hubs. 

Gravaa has a system called KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System) which is also hub based and allows the rider to adjust air pressure up or down at will while riding. The system is so promising that Team Jumbo-Visma of the Pro road circuit is trying it out for the Spring classics in Europe. 

Comments: Gravaa sells the system as a wheel set which costs approximately $4700.00 US, so it likely won't be seen a lot here, but this isn't fairy dust. It's real, and with two companies at it in this space, I suspect this idea will stick. There are claimed benefits which are too big to ignore for racing, that's for sure. And we all know that racing informs what becomes available in the high-end realm of cycling. 

Fat bikes, mountain bikes, cyclo cross, and gravel bikes probably will all have this option available to them in more slickly packaged, high-tech offerings in the near future. Unless the UCI bans this, which, you know, is entirely possible. That said, no other racing that occurs with pneumatic tires has this sort of technology that I am aware of unless it is off-road vehicles, which I could totally see being applicable. Point being, if it isn't allowable in most motorsports, I can see where the UCI might be against this. But for now, it is an intriguing option on the horizon for cyclists. 

Rocky Mountain Solo Carbon 90 (Image courtesy of Rocky Mountain Bikes)

Rocky Mountain Announces Carbon Fiber Gravel Bike:

Rocky Mountain Bikes exhibited a new carbon fiber frame/.fork gravel bike on their website last week and I thought that it was interesting for a couple of reasons. The bike can be seen on their website here in case you want to check it out further. 

Comments: So, one thing that I find fascinating is how a predominantly mountain bike brand interprets a "gravel bike". Do they go with the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel, or what? Are we going to see a suspension fork, 29'er tires, and a dropper post, like what Evil Bikes or some others are doing, or will this be a straight-ahead gravel machine? 

In this case, it is not only a straight-ahead gravel bike, but it has a couple features that I found intriguing. One is that Rocky Mountain opted for a 75mm bottom bracket drop. That's low and pretty much precludes usage of 650B rubber, which some MTB brands like to allow for on their gravel rigs. Not that you couldn't use 650B, but it gets dicey when you drop the BB height that low. 

The other thing was that Rocky did not spec a telescoping suspension fork. That's interesting, and while I could not find a fork specification, it doesn't appear that Rocky Mountain intended for this model to allow for one either. 

I like the geometry, and I think Rocky Mountain hit this one out of the ball park. Nice job! 

The Focus Atlas 8.8 (Image courtesy of Focus)

Focus Debuts Atlas Range With Boost Spacing:

Focus Bikes announced earlier this week that they have a new Atlas range of carbon fiber gravel bikes out which, amongst other things, features Boost axle spacing front and rear. There also is a unique bag carrying function which wasn't clearly spelled out on the webpage, but it may be something of interest. 

Comments: Again, I typically will not feature every press release with a bike for gravel here, but this bike has an obvious change which necessitates a bit of discussion. Boost, if you are not familiar with that term, is an axle spacing utilized by almost every mountain bike now and essentially adds 10mm of width up front and another 6mm out back on a through axle set up. So, 110mm front versus the road based 100mm and 148mm out back versus the typical 142mm through axle standard, which itself is based upon 135mm quick release dimensions. 

You may ask "Why?". Well, this allows for stronger wheels, by allowing for a wider distance between hub flanges to allow for a better spoking angle from hub to rim. Focus is billing this as an adventure bike, or a bikepacking bike, if that makes more sense to you. Loads on the frame typically will handle better with a wheel that has better lateral strength. So, this makes sense to me. 

But what I think this indicates is a wider move in the near future for all gravel bikes. It will make all previous "gravel wheel sets" obsolete, but this along with a move to the so-called direct mount rear derailleur standard is going to be here in the upper end offerings, in my opinion, very soon. 

Your current gravel bikes will be supported yet for a while, but this Boost spacing and direct mount rear derailleur thing is coming and honestly, I think road bikes will also be affected. Especially with the direct mount thing. Having no replaceable hangars will be a boon to future direct-to-consumer sales and self-service bike shop retail, which I believe is the future in cycling retail coming soon. The service industry side of repair/maintenance will benefit as well. 

As seen on Twitter Tuesday

Team Movistar To Add Gravel Squad With Valverde As Lead Rider:

Tuesday on social media news broke about formerly retired Pro Road rider Alejandro Valverde and Team Movistar joining forces to launch the new gravel team for 2023. 

According to this Yahoo Sports article, the 42 year old will be joined by men and women already on Team Movistar and in its esports program. 

Riders will begin by contesting events in Spain but are also aiming at being at the UCI's Gravel World Championships in Italy this Fall. 

Comments: So, is this where old roadies go out to pasture, or....? I think it would be easy to say that, but I think it has a way of giving the series and racing in Europe more legitimacy to the average European rider. Let's not forget that gravel racing is an American invention, at least in its current form, and traction amongst European cyclists for this genre is not anywhere near the fever pitch it is here in America.  

It also is a pathway for the UCI to grow the segment into the sort of professional stature that they are hoping it to become, with similar sponsorship opportunities and ties to the big organizers of cycling events in Europe. "Grassroots" organizing simply is far too difficult there in Europe and this will be how gravel racing is done in the future there, if it continues at all. So, expect similar types of racing, eventually, that you are familiar with on the paved side, if this takes off over there. 

Image courtesy of Panaracer

Panaracer Announced New Limited Edition Colors:

By now you probably are aware that Panaracer releases some colored rubber tires every year. This year's colors are Sunset Orange and Turquoise. You can get these in three models, the Gravel King SK, Gravel King SS, or Gravel King.  Sidewalls are in black or brown. Widths run from 32mm, 38mm, or 43mm. Price is $59.99 each.

You can check them out here. 

Comments: Is this the bicycle fanatic's version of Easter eggs? I mean, they released these on Thursday before Easter. Anyway..... Yeah....these are not my cuppa. Maybe this turns you on? Okay, I'm alright with that, but I find colored tires to be an acquired taste in most cases. Now, I would take a hard look at white or a cream colored tire. Maybe that red that Ritchey used to use, or maybe the Michelin green, so I'm not 100% against the idea. I just don't care for these at all. That's maybe just me....

I will say that I think the slick being named "Gravel King" is pretty goofy. For my money, the SK is where it is at, but those center blocks can have a tendency to fling gravel, so you have to watch out for that around anyone that rides a Gravel King SK.
 

That's it for this week. have a great Easter Weekend!

Friday News And Views

PBO spokes on the Spinergy GX wheels are.......different.

Non-Metallic Wonders:

Many times we assume certain things are always going to be a certain way. The Sun is coming up tomorrow, you will pay taxes, and some day you will die. Pretty sure bets. But sometimes we think things are going to always be a certain way......until they aren't. 

Such were my thoughts about spokes early into my mechanic career. Steel is what spokes are made of. Why wouldn't they be? They are about perfect for the job at hand, and if things are designed and assembled correctly, they can last the lifetime of a bicycle. Then someone made spokes out of titanium. Hmm.......that wasn't as good. Then someone made spokes out of carbon fiber. Yeah...... Not so much. Then someone made spokes out of aluminum, and you know what? That works, but they are odd and not common. Then I saw PBO spokes in the late 90's. What the what? Yep- fiber based spokes. Okay, well Tioga did that tension disc thingie, maybe there is something to this too.....

So, anyway, I have these wheels from Spinergy with the PBO spokes to review for RidingGravel.com and I have to say that yes- there is something to this. But anytime you are going up against a widely accepted and proven technology, the question that begs to be asked is "why go a different direction?" It's a fair question to ask about the PBO spokes too. I will have to ride these quite a bit more to answer that question, but to my mind it's going to take a pretty substantial benefit to beat steel spokes. We'll see.......

Colored treads......again.

Panaracer Does Colored Treads And New Sealant:

I remember colored rubber tires when I was a kid. Then that disappeared and came back again in the late 70's/early 80's with BMX. Then it kind of went away again until the 1990's when colors popped up on Michelin MTB tires, some other barnds too, and then it went away again. Urban fixie riding had a dalliance with colored tires. Schwalbe kind of dabbled in it for a while. Then nothing again....Until now.....

Panaracer has revived colored rubber tires in its Gravel King series, (what else would it be!) and they just announced three more limited edition tires. I maybe can see myself riding the Ivory colored tires, but the other two colors are.....not for me. I actually really like Gravel King SK's and recommend them often to those who ask me. But the colored ones, not so much. That said, there is a Gravel King SK tire I have my eyes on, but it isn't a skinny one!

Panaracer sealant, yada,yada,yada....Look at the tire!

In an image sent to me in a press release about Panaracer's new sealant with Walnut shell chunks in it, (really!), I saw a tire I am interested in. The 700 X 50mm Gravel King SK skin wall tire. Yes! I like that idea a lot.

See, it is about time to switch up tires on the old Fargo, and I've been wanting something 50-ish wide and the Gravel King SK 700 X 50mm tire seems about right for the job. That it could be skin wall is even better. Maybe I might even try that new fangled walnut shell infused sealant of Panaracer's as well. We'll see, because I make my own sealant which has never been a problem for me, and there are other killer sealants on the market also. (I recommend Orange Seal and the Muc Off sealant) So, Panaracer has some high hurdles in the sealant game to leap over before I would be impressed. But they do make a good tire, and the Gravel King is about as good as there is for gravel travel out there. So, this 50mm one has my eye. Stay tuned.....

The press release said something about a more puncture resistant Gravel King and that 650B sizes were available. I could see a 650B X 50mm tire on a couple of my rigs at times. I'll have to look into that as well. I know Donnelly does a 650B X 50mm MSO, but it is black wall. I know........picky, picky, picky! 

Saturday snow in late April? Yep.

 Just When You Thought Winter Was Gone:

Well, that's a slap in the face! Last weekend it got up into the high 80's both days. Sure, it was windy as all get out, but it was so warm. Not at all humid either. Just glorious. Now a week later, the bill comes due.

 That bill is in the form of much colder weather, snow in some places, and rain everywhere else. Temperatures for highs Saturday will hover around the 40's in most places in the state. 50's if you are lucky. Then Saturday night/Sunday morning it is going to freeze. Like really freeze!

But I gotta be honest, this freeze is not at all unusual. I think for at least the last few Trans Iowas, and I know many of them, it has been under 32° at some point during the night Saturday or early Sunday morning. So, a sub-freezing night at this time of year is nothing new. But snow is odd, and rainy weather plus sub-freezing temperatures makes for a bone chilling weather pattern. Break out the thermal tights! (Where did I put those again?)

That is a wrap for this week. Hope that you get out and ride some. I'm going to try to get out at some point.

Friday News And Views

PBO spokes on the Spinergy GX wheels are.......different.

Non-Metallic Wonders:

Many times we assume certain things are always going to be a certain way. The Sun is coming up tomorrow, you will pay taxes, and some day you will die. Pretty sure bets. But sometimes we think things are going to always be a certain way......until they aren't. 

Such were my thoughts about spokes early into my mechanic career. Steel is what spokes are made of. Why wouldn't they be? They are about perfect for the job at hand, and if things are designed and assembled correctly, they can last the lifetime of a bicycle. Then someone made spokes out of titanium. Hmm.......that wasn't as good. Then someone made spokes out of carbon fiber. Yeah...... Not so much. Then someone made spokes out of aluminum, and you know what? That works, but they are odd and not common. Then I saw PBO spokes in the late 90's. What the what? Yep- fiber based spokes. Okay, well Tioga did that tension disc thingie, maybe there is something to this too.....

So, anyway, I have these wheels from Spinergy with the PBO spokes to review for RidingGravel.com and I have to say that yes- there is something to this. But anytime you are going up against a widely accepted and proven technology, the question that begs to be asked is "why go a different direction?" It's a fair question to ask about the PBO spokes too. I will have to ride these quite a bit more to answer that question, but to my mind it's going to take a pretty substantial benefit to beat steel spokes. We'll see.......

Colored treads......again.

Panaracer Does Colored Treads And New Sealant:

I remember colored rubber tires when I was a kid. Then that disappeared and came back again in the late 70's/early 80's with BMX. Then it kind of went away again until the 1990's when colors popped up on Michelin MTB tires, some other barnds too, and then it went away again. Urban fixie riding had a dalliance with colored tires. Schwalbe kind of dabbled in it for a while. Then nothing again....Until now.....

Panaracer has revived colored rubber tires in its Gravel King series, (what else would it be!) and they just announced three more limited edition tires. I maybe can see myself riding the Ivory colored tires, but the other two colors are.....not for me. I actually really like Gravel King SK's and recommend them often to those who ask me. But the colored ones, not so much. That said, there is a Gravel King SK tire I have my eyes on, but it isn't a skinny one!

Panaracer sealant, yada,yada,yada....Look at the tire!

In an image sent to me in a press release about Panaracer's new sealant with Walnut shell chunks in it, (really!), I saw a tire I am interested in. The 700 X 50mm Gravel King SK skin wall tire. Yes! I like that idea a lot.

See, it is about time to switch up tires on the old Fargo, and I've been wanting something 50-ish wide and the Gravel King SK 700 X 50mm tire seems about right for the job. That it could be skin wall is even better. Maybe I might even try that new fangled walnut shell infused sealant of Panaracer's as well. We'll see, because I make my own sealant which has never been a problem for me, and there are other killer sealants on the market also. (I recommend Orange Seal and the Muc Off sealant) So, Panaracer has some high hurdles in the sealant game to leap over before I would be impressed. But they do make a good tire, and the Gravel King is about as good as there is for gravel travel out there. So, this 50mm one has my eye. Stay tuned.....

The press release said something about a more puncture resistant Gravel King and that 650B sizes were available. I could see a 650B X 50mm tire on a couple of my rigs at times. I'll have to look into that as well. I know Donnelly does a 650B X 50mm MSO, but it is black wall. I know........picky, picky, picky! 

Saturday snow in late April? Yep.

 Just When You Thought Winter Was Gone:

Well, that's a slap in the face! Last weekend it got up into the high 80's both days. Sure, it was windy as all get out, but it was so warm. Not at all humid either. Just glorious. Now a week later, the bill comes due.

 That bill is in the form of much colder weather, snow in some places, and rain everywhere else. Temperatures for highs Saturday will hover around the 40's in most places in the state. 50's if you are lucky. Then Saturday night/Sunday morning it is going to freeze. Like really freeze!

But I gotta be honest, this freeze is not at all unusual. I think for at least the last few Trans Iowas, and I know many of them, it has been under 32° at some point during the night Saturday or early Sunday morning. So, a sub-freezing night at this time of year is nothing new. But snow is odd, and rainy weather plus sub-freezing temperatures makes for a bone chilling weather pattern. Break out the thermal tights! (Where did I put those again?)

That is a wrap for this week. Hope that you get out and ride some. I'm going to try to get out at some point.

Friday News And Views

Spring Cleaning

Practical Cycling:

One of my favorite things to do is to figure out how I can use my bicycles for ordinary tasks. You know, like getting a gallon of milk. Grab the "townie" and pack the jug of moo juice home in a pannier. That sort of thing, but even on larger scales.So when Mrs. Guitar Ted said she had many bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill, I said that I would take care of that task. It was a perfect task for my Xtracycle.

One of my favorite things about the Xtracycle is that, if you put your mind to it, you can usually figure out how to carry some ridiculous loads. The one thing I hate about my Xtracycle is that those loads push it way beyond its practical capabilities.

See! This is why I need a Big Dummy! 

I know, I know..... "just go get one already!" I hear ya, but my "practical thinking mind" says that I already own such a beast, and that the wobbling, snaking down the road, flexy wheeled, poor braking beast is enough for me and my needs. Gah! I drive myself crazy with the back and forth of it all. Sometimes I wish the damn thing would just break, then my mind would be made up for me. Ha! Trouble is that this rig is like a cockroach. I cannot kill it. It isn't like I don't try to though......

How kingly art thou?

A Pretentious Name:

I got a pair of new tires for the Standard Rando to try out. When I first got the bike, almost a year ago now, to test for RidingGravel.com, it came shod with the narrower, 32mm Panaracer Gravel King tires. They weren't much fun on Iowa gravel, so off they went and I never looked back again at those tires. I knew at the time Panaracer was planning a 40mm version of the tire, so I held out until that tire was available, and here it is.

The really ironic thing about the whole Gravel King line up is that when it was introduced, the first tire was a smooth 28mm skinny-minnie that wouldn't do squat on gravel we have here but maybe cause you to work way too hard and pinch flat. "Some 'gravel king' that tire is!", I thought. Then the 32mm with tread appeared, and, well, that was another fail, at least here. So, now we have a 35mm, which I wanted to try, but was unavailable at this time, and this 40, which I expect to be more than capable. The testing will commence soon and be reported here and on RidingGravel.com.

The thing is, gravel isn't the same everywhere, but here is my point. Gravel tires should be such that you can tackle anything and do it with relative ease. A 28mm tire is not a gravel tire you can take anywhere. No......fat road tire? Maybe. Heck, it is almost a "normal width" for a pavement road bike tire now. Now, a 35-40mm tire? Yes...now we're talking. Is that overkill for some places? Sure it is, but you won't be wanting when you do go to those "other places". And....if your bike can handle big tires, you can always mount skinnier ones. Try that on your Trek Madone.  Okay, that's my rant on the name. It is silly, it doesn't make sense across the range, but whatever. It is what it is......

Trans Iowa v12 Update: 

This past week was spent mostly on dialing in cue sheets. The mileage, which we strive to get right, was off in one, small section, and it would seem to be easy to fix. However; you underestimate the complexity and enormity of the task if you think that.

With several turns, this way and that, markers for road crossings, and name changes, the mileages pile up. Figures differing only one digit or two are common, and it gets to be really easy to mis-transcribe numbers. However; what got us screwed up was our mapping program, which wanted to route back and forth over itself unless you dialed up the resolution on the map to the point you couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I missed one spot after map clean up and it made the route in one section a quarter mile longer than it should have been. Why the route making program didn't reconfigure the entire route a quarter mile longer, I don't know. I have a way of messing up these sorts of things.

The point is, finally we got the thing straightened out. It went back and forth over the period of a day, but between Jeremy and I, we got it. Now we just have to verify the route via recon the week before Trans Iowa, and print the cues, and..... Whew!

I've gotten a few drop out notices from riders, thanks! It saves us work on our end if we know ahead of time that you cannot make T.I.v12. 

New Logo from the RidingGravel.com Facebook Page

 RidingGravel.com Logo:

We've been working on a new look for RidingGravel.com lately, and we have been coming up with some awesome ideas. Sometimes though, the simplest idea can be way better than anything else you have been looking at.

Case in point: The traffic sign logo that my partner, Ben, came up with, is just killer. In fact, it was so good that he went right ahead and made it our Facebook page avatar. I think it is brilliant.

Now, this doesn't mean that our other ideas went in the circular file. No- It just means that this is the perfect way for us to depict what it is to be riding gravel. Rural, somewhat dangerous, and it is eye catching in a super simple format. I don't know- maybe I am all wrong here- but I like this and I think it fits really well. What do you think?



That's a wrap! Have a fantastic weekend and keep the rubber side down.

Friday News And Views

Spring Cleaning

Practical Cycling:

One of my favorite things to do is to figure out how I can use my bicycles for ordinary tasks. You know, like getting a gallon of milk. Grab the "townie" and pack the jug of moo juice home in a pannier. That sort of thing, but even on larger scales.So when Mrs. Guitar Ted said she had many bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill, I said that I would take care of that task. It was a perfect task for my Xtracycle.

One of my favorite things about the Xtracycle is that, if you put your mind to it, you can usually figure out how to carry some ridiculous loads. The one thing I hate about my Xtracycle is that those loads push it way beyond its practical capabilities.

See! This is why I need a Big Dummy! 

I know, I know..... "just go get one already!" I hear ya, but my "practical thinking mind" says that I already own such a beast, and that the wobbling, snaking down the road, flexy wheeled, poor braking beast is enough for me and my needs. Gah! I drive myself crazy with the back and forth of it all. Sometimes I wish the damn thing would just break, then my mind would be made up for me. Ha! Trouble is that this rig is like a cockroach. I cannot kill it. It isn't like I don't try to though......

How kingly art thou?

A Pretentious Name:

I got a pair of new tires for the Standard Rando to try out. When I first got the bike, almost a year ago now, to test for RidingGravel.com, it came shod with the narrower, 32mm Panaracer Gravel King tires. They weren't much fun on Iowa gravel, so off they went and I never looked back again at those tires. I knew at the time Panaracer was planning a 40mm version of the tire, so I held out until that tire was available, and here it is.

The really ironic thing about the whole Gravel King line up is that when it was introduced, the first tire was a smooth 28mm skinny-minnie that wouldn't do squat on gravel we have here but maybe cause you to work way too hard and pinch flat. "Some 'gravel king' that tire is!", I thought. Then the 32mm with tread appeared, and, well, that was another fail, at least here. So, now we have a 35mm, which I wanted to try, but was unavailable at this time, and this 40, which I expect to be more than capable. The testing will commence soon and be reported here and on RidingGravel.com.

The thing is, gravel isn't the same everywhere, but here is my point. Gravel tires should be such that you can tackle anything and do it with relative ease. A 28mm tire is not a gravel tire you can take anywhere. No......fat road tire? Maybe. Heck, it is almost a "normal width" for a pavement road bike tire now. Now, a 35-40mm tire? Yes...now we're talking. Is that overkill for some places? Sure it is, but you won't be wanting when you do go to those "other places". And....if your bike can handle big tires, you can always mount skinnier ones. Try that on your Trek Madone.  Okay, that's my rant on the name. It is silly, it doesn't make sense across the range, but whatever. It is what it is......

Trans Iowa v12 Update: 

This past week was spent mostly on dialing in cue sheets. The mileage, which we strive to get right, was off in one, small section, and it would seem to be easy to fix. However; you underestimate the complexity and enormity of the task if you think that.

With several turns, this way and that, markers for road crossings, and name changes, the mileages pile up. Figures differing only one digit or two are common, and it gets to be really easy to mis-transcribe numbers. However; what got us screwed up was our mapping program, which wanted to route back and forth over itself unless you dialed up the resolution on the map to the point you couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I missed one spot after map clean up and it made the route in one section a quarter mile longer than it should have been. Why the route making program didn't reconfigure the entire route a quarter mile longer, I don't know. I have a way of messing up these sorts of things.

The point is, finally we got the thing straightened out. It went back and forth over the period of a day, but between Jeremy and I, we got it. Now we just have to verify the route via recon the week before Trans Iowa, and print the cues, and..... Whew!

I've gotten a few drop out notices from riders, thanks! It saves us work on our end if we know ahead of time that you cannot make T.I.v12. 

New Logo from the RidingGravel.com Facebook Page

 RidingGravel.com Logo:

We've been working on a new look for RidingGravel.com lately, and we have been coming up with some awesome ideas. Sometimes though, the simplest idea can be way better than anything else you have been looking at.

Case in point: The traffic sign logo that my partner, Ben, came up with, is just killer. In fact, it was so good that he went right ahead and made it our Facebook page avatar. I think it is brilliant.

Now, this doesn't mean that our other ideas went in the circular file. No- It just means that this is the perfect way for us to depict what it is to be riding gravel. Rural, somewhat dangerous, and it is eye catching in a super simple format. I don't know- maybe I am all wrong here- but I like this and I think it fits really well. What do you think?



That's a wrap! Have a fantastic weekend and keep the rubber side down.

Friday News And Views

So....When Does Registration Happen? 

Okay folks......remember when I said I didn't want to get a bunch of you pinging me about registration?  Have you bothered to actually read the Trans Iowa site's "Details & Registration" page?

Many of you have, but guess what? Some of you have not. Some say that getting in to Trans Iowa is as hard as the event itself.......really? Try reading and following directions folks. It isn't all that hard. Maybe I expect too much........

Sorry about the mini-rant. Now on to a bit of TIMP news, and the very last attempt which will be starting this Saturday at 9:00am. For all the SPOT tracking fun you can stand, go HERE. Greg Gleason, the T.I.V10 champ, is gunning for a sub-24 finish of the 380 mile course. Can he do it? Will the weather allow for it? Keep clicking the link to see!

Yep! I got a B+.

Plus Sized Madness:

 The B+ thing I've been talking about? I will be testing it out to see if there really is anything to it here soon. I have some ideas that I think would be great for such a concept, but the B+ thing needs to "measure up" to expectations first.

The components to make the experiment happen showed up this week. I'll be using some of my own hubs, Chris Kings, and lacing them up to these Velocity Blunt 35's and there will also be another wheel set in the makings to try these out on as well.

The idea of B+ is that you could have a voluminous tire, (2.8"er), that would fit into a 29"er frame to allow for a "mid-fat" experience without having to buy anything but wheels and tires. My take on it is that this might be a great idea for a fully rigid chassis that might work well comfort-wise as a bikepacking platform, or as a rigid single speed bike with give. We'll see soon enough.....

The "madness" is all this wheel size nonsense. It's confusing and isn't really well understood. I was chatting with my boss yesterday and we thought it would make more sense if rim size and tire sizes were kept totally separated. For instance, if this were the case, all mention of "29"er", 27.5, B+, 650B, 29+, or "fat bike" would all go away. Here's how we see it.....

You take the ISO rim size- for instance, 584. This describes the diameter, then you add rim width, say inner rim width, since that's all that really matters with disc wheels and tubeless set ups. That gets you everything you need to know for dimensions on a rim. You'd have a 584/25mm, let's say. Then take the tire and use the ISO diameter again- (584 in our example)- so you simply matchy-match those tire numbers with rim numbers. Then you add in the overall width of the casing, (which most of the time is an approximation anyway), and then you know if said tire is a match for said rim. So 584 X 52mm, let's say. Manufacturers could simply say a bike is set up with 584's, or 622's. It'd be pretty obvious if it were a mountain bike or road bike, I think. And make everything be measured in millimeters!

I know......it's a pipe dream.

Rather Tamland-like

Another Gravel Bike:

Many long time readers know about the Tamland by Raleigh from my posts here about that bike. (If you don't, this post explains it all) The ideas behind the Tamland were also put to work on a U.K. Raleigh offering, and will appear in aluminum for 2015 as the Raleigh "Willard" model. Raleigh is owned by Accell Group, and they have several brands. So it wasn't that big of a surprise when I came across another rig that seemingly is in the Tamland's genetic pool, if you will.

It is in the Torker line for 2015 and the model is the "EM 50", which sounds like a farm implement model designation or something. Anyway....it is looking like a good budget entry into a bike that was designed for gravel riding and exploratory back road shenanigans. MSRP is $1250.00 and it is equipped with a Sora gruppo and disc brakes.

Another Gravel Tire:

The Panaracer "Gravel King 32" (courtesy of Panaracer's Facebook feed)

 Last year Panaracer introduced the pretentiously named "Gravel King" tires and rolled out a 23mm, 25mm, and 28mm size range.......for gravel? Really?!!

I am sure that almost all the guys and gals that ride gravel that I have met at Trans Iowa or elsewhere would not even consider a 28mm tire and certainly not a 23mm tire as being king of anything but pinch flats, but there ya go. A company jumping on a perceived trend and missing the bulk of the market altogether.

Well, now it seems that the "Gravel King" has crept on to the radar screen for gravel riders since Panaracer has announced a 32mm wide version of this tire which is minimum width, as far as I am concerned, for any reliable gravel going tire. It's got kind of an odd tread pattern, but who knows......it might just work. I've ridden Panaracer Pasela tires on gravel and Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires, (made by Panaracer) before and they are decent enough tires, so I would expect similar results at minimum for wear and ride feel. I just wish Panaracer would have paid attention to the 32mm to 42mm range, which is where the king should have its realm, ya know?

Okay folks, it is the last weekend of Summer! Labor Day weekend here and most of us have a three day hootenanny to look forward to. Get yer bike on and keep the rubber side down!

Friday News And Views

So....When Does Registration Happen? 

Okay folks......remember when I said I didn't want to get a bunch of you pinging me about registration?  Have you bothered to actually read the Trans Iowa site's "Details & Registration" page?

Many of you have, but guess what? Some of you have not. Some say that getting in to Trans Iowa is as hard as the event itself.......really? Try reading and following directions folks. It isn't all that hard. Maybe I expect too much........

Sorry about the mini-rant. Now on to a bit of TIMP news, and the very last attempt which will be starting this Saturday at 9:00am. For all the SPOT tracking fun you can stand, go HERE. Greg Gleason, the T.I.V10 champ, is gunning for a sub-24 finish of the 380 mile course. Can he do it? Will the weather allow for it? Keep clicking the link to see!

Yep! I got a B+.

Plus Sized Madness:

 The B+ thing I've been talking about? I will be testing it out to see if there really is anything to it here soon. I have some ideas that I think would be great for such a concept, but the B+ thing needs to "measure up" to expectations first.

The components to make the experiment happen showed up this week. I'll be using some of my own hubs, Chris Kings, and lacing them up to these Velocity Blunt 35's and there will also be another wheel set in the makings to try these out on as well.

The idea of B+ is that you could have a voluminous tire, (2.8"er), that would fit into a 29"er frame to allow for a "mid-fat" experience without having to buy anything but wheels and tires. My take on it is that this might be a great idea for a fully rigid chassis that might work well comfort-wise as a bikepacking platform, or as a rigid single speed bike with give. We'll see soon enough.....

The "madness" is all this wheel size nonsense. It's confusing and isn't really well understood. I was chatting with my boss yesterday and we thought it would make more sense if rim size and tire sizes were kept totally separated. For instance, if this were the case, all mention of "29"er", 27.5, B+, 650B, 29+, or "fat bike" would all go away. Here's how we see it.....

You take the ISO rim size- for instance, 584. This describes the diameter, then you add rim width, say inner rim width, since that's all that really matters with disc wheels and tubeless set ups. That gets you everything you need to know for dimensions on a rim. You'd have a 584/25mm, let's say. Then take the tire and use the ISO diameter again- (584 in our example)- so you simply matchy-match those tire numbers with rim numbers. Then you add in the overall width of the casing, (which most of the time is an approximation anyway), and then you know if said tire is a match for said rim. So 584 X 52mm, let's say. Manufacturers could simply say a bike is set up with 584's, or 622's. It'd be pretty obvious if it were a mountain bike or road bike, I think. And make everything be measured in millimeters!

I know......it's a pipe dream.

Rather Tamland-like

Another Gravel Bike:

Many long time readers know about the Tamland by Raleigh from my posts here about that bike. (If you don't, this post explains it all) The ideas behind the Tamland were also put to work on a U.K. Raleigh offering, and will appear in aluminum for 2015 as the Raleigh "Willard" model. Raleigh is owned by Accell Group, and they have several brands. So it wasn't that big of a surprise when I came across another rig that seemingly is in the Tamland's genetic pool, if you will.

It is in the Torker line for 2015 and the model is the "EM 50", which sounds like a farm implement model designation or something. Anyway....it is looking like a good budget entry into a bike that was designed for gravel riding and exploratory back road shenanigans. MSRP is $1250.00 and it is equipped with a Sora gruppo and disc brakes.

Another Gravel Tire:

The Panaracer "Gravel King 32" (courtesy of Panaracer's Facebook feed)

 Last year Panaracer introduced the pretentiously named "Gravel King" tires and rolled out a 23mm, 25mm, and 28mm size range.......for gravel? Really?!!

I am sure that almost all the guys and gals that ride gravel that I have met at Trans Iowa or elsewhere would not even consider a 28mm tire and certainly not a 23mm tire as being king of anything but pinch flats, but there ya go. A company jumping on a perceived trend and missing the bulk of the market altogether.

Well, now it seems that the "Gravel King" has crept on to the radar screen for gravel riders since Panaracer has announced a 32mm wide version of this tire which is minimum width, as far as I am concerned, for any reliable gravel going tire. It's got kind of an odd tread pattern, but who knows......it might just work. I've ridden Panaracer Pasela tires on gravel and Bruce Gordon Rock & Road tires, (made by Panaracer) before and they are decent enough tires, so I would expect similar results at minimum for wear and ride feel. I just wish Panaracer would have paid attention to the 32mm to 42mm range, which is where the king should have its realm, ya know?

Okay folks, it is the last weekend of Summer! Labor Day weekend here and most of us have a three day hootenanny to look forward to. Get yer bike on and keep the rubber side down!